First time mum- new to credits and benefits as normally work full time

[heverhoney1]

Please help!! I am lost in a maze of finances!!!

The way I look at things is that every penny we can get means an extra bit of time I can afford to have off with the baby once she arrives but I dont understand how it all works. I know I can get 20 a week child benefit but after that I am lost.

I normally earn a good wage but obv maternity leave puts pay to that I get 90% for 6 weeks then 12 weeks at half pay then stat maternity up till 26 weeks?? then live off what little savings we have untill I have to go back to work (Which wont be long) So how does the tax credits thing work? am I still technically working- i.e working tax credits? Then how do they account for all the changes? Or are we entitled to nothing untill I go back to work and then I am entitled to another few quid a week.

Then my midwife mentined that it may be worth my while going back to work 3 or 4 days a week instead of 5 - how do I work that out??

Ok ok I know I am probably really confused over something that probably isnt that tough but my pregnancy hormoned up brain just refuses to work - I promise I am not that dumb really

checkout entitled to with the various scenarios

thanks betsy but thats where I got confused (easy done) do I have to change any claim after 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 26 weeks, then when I go back to work?

Then between 26 weeks and when I go back to work I wont be getting anything so I wont be paying any tax to claim any credit for. But will still be technically employed so cant claim anything else - is that right?? seems a bit rear end upwards if that is the case.

Dont get me wrong I dont want to be long term supported by the tax payer but as I have paid large amounts of tax and NI myself as I have had jobs (part time whan at school and uni) since I was 14 I would quie like some help when I needit. I dont want to miss a second of my baby growing up that I dont have to

Depends on your household earnings, tax credits are also based on the last tax years earnings so you'll need those figures as well.

You know, I scrimped and scraped every spare penny during the time I was working and pg and then on mat leave and managed to get together £6k so that I knew my mortgage at the very least was covered for a year. It was hard, but it was definitely worth it. I then went on a career break and as a LP am on benefits for the time being.
Not sure if you are a LP or with a partner, but I found the Job Centre + quite helpful. They told me that what I'm doing is exactly what the benefits system is for.

OP you can claim whilst on maternity leave, I did and got about 80 pounds a month. I am a LP. I also had to live on my savings, that's what they are there for. If you know what hours you will be working when you go back to work you can let them know but nothing will change until you are actually back at work. It is household income so it will depend on if you have dp also.

You can claim child benefit as soon as you get a birth certificate. Every little helps!!

You know theres also the new maternity grant which is a one off payment form the 6th April for £190.

It's not means tested you just need to speak to your mw about it after 28 weeks